Why an Energy-Efficient Residence Can Impact Air Quality and How to Enhance It 

Houses today are built with energy efficiency in mind. This involves more insulation and tightly sealed doors and windows to keep energy costs affordable. While this is good for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not so good for your indoor air quality. 

Because air has fewer chances to escape, contaminants can increase and impact your house’s indoor air quality. In reality, your house’s air can actually be 2–5 times worse than the outdoors, according to the EPA. That’s not good for anyone, but it’s specifically detrimental for relatives with allergies, asthma, other respiratory concerns or heart disease. 

Let’s go over some of these routine contaminants and how you can enhance your house’s indoor air quality. 

6 Everyday Pollutants that Affect Indoor Air Quality 

When you envision pollutants, you may think about smog or tobacco smoke. But many substances that impact your air quality are common substances. These things include chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. 

They include: 

1. Cleaning products, such as aerosol sprays, bleach and window cleaner. 

2. Personal care products, like hairspray, perfume and nail products. 

3. Candles and air fresheners. 

4. Formaldehyde, which is frequently used in plastic, foam and particleboard products. 

5. Furniture, window treatments and carpet, specifically when they’re brand new. 

6. Paints and stains. 

Other everyday pollutants include: 

• Dust 
• Pet dander 

• Pollen 
• Mold 

Symptoms of VOC Exposure 

Some people are more sensitive to VOCs than others. The EPA says symptoms of VOC exposure entail: 

• Irritated eyes, nose or throat 

• Headaches 
• Dizziness 
• Fatigue 

In bad situations, the EPA says VOCs can lead to respiratory and heart diseases. 

4 Ways to Enhance Your Residence’s Indoor Air Quality 

It isn’t hard to boost your house’s air quality. Here are several ideas from Harvard Medical School: 

1. Clean Your Home Often 

Regularly cleaning and washing surfaces that attract allergens, like furniture, carpet and bedding, will help reduce on dust, dust mites and pet dander in your house. 

2. Regularly Replace Your Air Filter 

This essential filter keeps your house comfy and air clean. How often you should change your air filter depends on the kind of filter you have. Flat filters should be changed every month, while pleated filters should be changed every three months. If you’re unsure if your filter should be changed, remove it and tilt it to the light. Get a new one if you can’t see light through it. 

If someone in your residence deals with allergies or asthma, we advise having a filter with a better MERV rating. The higher the number this is, the better your filter is at eliminating contaminants. 

3. Enhance Natural Ventilation 

Keep fresh air circulating by opening windows whenever the temperature allows. We also advise running exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen frequently to get rid of pollutants and draw in more fresh air. 

4. Call Our Indoor Air Quality Pros 

From whole-home air purifiers, Calverley Service Experts has a fix to help your household breathe better. We’ll help you find the ideal option during your free home comfort assessment. Give us a call at 817-380-5647 to request yours now!